Constructionality and hidden complexity - The diachronic evolution of non-canonical [V+NP] expressions

Wu Yicheng, Zhejiang University

In this paper, we investigate the evolutionary processes of two types of non-canonical [V + Non-patient NP] expressions in Mandarin Chinese (which exist in other languages as well), where the verb can be transitive and intransitive, and the NP can be any semantic type (agent, patient, location, time, instrument, material and so on). Within the framework of Construction Grammar, we argue that (i) the two types of non-canonical VP expressions are essentially grammatical constructions, i.e. have the constructional features of (high) productivity, (high) schematicity and (low) compositionality; (ii) they have gone through a process of grammaticalization called “constructionalization” (Traugott & Trousdale 2013). From the typological perspective, we also argue that the [V+Non-patient NP] construction at issue manifests the type of hidden complexity (Bisang 2014, 2015), on the grounds that part of its (intended) meaning is not expressed morphosyntactically but pragmatically inferred, and hence needs pragmatic enrichment from context.